Should Your Law Enforcement Operation Outsource Transcription?

Law enforcement transcription services are readily available today, yet many operations choose to keep this work in house. They believe that doing so saves time and money, but we have found that the opposite is generally true. There are a number of reasons why it is more viable to outsource to digital transcription services.

Free up Detectives The biggest advantage, of course, is the saving of time. Many fear long lead times for this sort of job, but transcriptions are quick, and trained to do the job with great accuracy within tight deadlines. Meanwhile, detectives, who strengths lie elsewhere can find transcription time consuming and tedious. It has been estimated that the average force could free up tens of thousands of man hours if they outsourced transcription. That is a lot of time that could be better spent on crime fighting.

Skip the Hiring Hassle In order to free up detectives and police officers, many departments will hire administrative assistants capable of performing transcriptionists’ tasks. Yet, this means paying another salary, paying for help wanted ads, interviewing, and reviewing resumes. There is also a training period to take into consideration, and the possible addition of employee benefits, such as paid time off. Online transcription services are contracted. There is no need to pay a salary. In fact, you don’t pay anyone unless work is being done. When one transcriptionist needs to take some time off, there is another to step in and cover the workflow, and all have been properly trained, so your office is immediately more productive without the headaches of hiring and training.

Transcriptionists Can Assist in Many Areas There are many areas of law enforcement that can benefit from transcription. Some of these uses may currently be overlooked in favor of saving time. However, with contracted transcription, you don’t have to worry about tying up members of your force. Therefore, you can afford to have the help with field investigation reports, interviews, internal investigations, public media statements, article requests, patrol reports, and catching up with backlogged items.